Bristol man arrested for DUI after near-miss with parked police car

A near-miss with a police car resulted in a drunken driving arrest in Southington. On Monday, Feb. 6, Paul Gressak, 35, of Bristol was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drug and failure to move over for a stationary emergency vehicle.

The incident occurred near the intersection of West Street and Executive Boulevard at approximately 11:13 p.m. The Southington police cruiser was stopped in the right northbound lane, when he observed Gressak’s vehicle approaching him from the rear at a high rate of speed. The officer began to pull his vehicle forward to avoid being struck, but Gressace slammed on his brakes and stopped approximately 5 feet behind the stopped cruiser.

Upon speaking with Gressak, the officer observed signs of intoxication. Gressak failed to meet the Standard with the field sobriety tests, and he was taken into custody. He was released on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bristol Court on Feb. 21.